The Football Ferns will take on Norway, Philippines and Switzerland in the group stage. Photo / Photosport
The Football Ferns will take on Norway, Philippines and Switzerland in the group stage. Photo / Photosport
New Zealand football fans can make definite plans for the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup, with the release of the full schedule of kickoff times.
The opening match of the tournament – featuring the Football Ferns against Norway – will commence at 7pm on July 20 at Eden Park.
Three hours later, co-hosts Australia will make their bow, facing Republic of Ireland at Sydney Football Stadium at 8pm (11pm NZT).
The Ferns' midweek match with the Philippines five days later in Wellington is at 5:30pm, with their group stage rounded out by a 7pm kickoff against Switzerland in Dunedin on July.
That key match clashes directly with the Norway versus Philippines match at Eden Park on the same evening.
That game at the vast Kingsland stadium already felt like a ticketing challenge – but will be even more difficult now – with Auckland local football folk likely to stay home to watch the Ferns on television.
The schedule features a potpourri of kickoff times, to balance the needs of local markets and the demands of overseas broadcasters. It is further complicated by the large amount of matches, with most days during the group stage featuring three or four games across New Zealand and Australia.
The power and influence of the United States market is illustrated by their kickoff times.
Their blockbuster clash with fellow 2019 finalists the Netherlands – arguably the biggest game of the group stage – has been allocated a 1pm slot, despite being a midweek fixture (Thursday July 27).
That won't be ideal for Wellington fans but is perfect for east and west coast audiences in the USA.
American forward Megan Rapinoe. Photo / AP
Their first match, against Vietnam at Eden Park (July 22) is also at 1pm, with their final game versus a playoff opponent (most likely Portugal) at 7pm on August 1.
Five of the six Eden Park group games are at 7pm or 7:30pm.
Hamilton has been allocated evening slots for their five matches, including the latest local kickoff of 8pm for Switzerland vs Norway, presumably to avoid a clash with the Ferns match in Wellington (5:30pm) on the same day.
Dunedin has two midweek 5pm games, as well as the earliest game here, with a midday start for the Argentina vs South Africa game on 28 July, to cater for the huge market in the South American nation.
The knockout games in New Zealand are mostly evening kickoffs, though the organisers have opted for a 1pm start for the Wellington quarter-final, which falls on a Friday (11 August).
They have gambled on the expected presence of the United States, who will end up in that match if they top Group E and then win their second round game in Sydney, as that slot would be far from optimal for European and Asian nations.
Three matches in Perth will be a challenge for New Zealand viewers, kicking off after midnight in New Zealand and there are also some late starts in Adelaide.
Speaking to the Herald last week, tournament chief executive Dave Beeche admitted that allocating kickoff times was a complex task.
The requirements of television audiences in the United States and Europe couldn't be ignored – given the money at stake – but organisers also need to prioritise local and travelling fans.
"Broadcasters have also realised that the coverage of a game that's got an empty stadium isn't that good either," Beeche told the Herald. "So there's a balancing act that goes on.
"We'll have to tackle it match by match, team by team and we'll look at running probabilities of who makes it through various stages of the tournament and try and mitigate the risk around having times that aren't suitable for the home audience."
2023 Fifa Womens World Cup - Football Ferns
New Zealand vs Norway, 7pm, July 20, Auckland New Zealand vs Philippines, 5:30pm, July 25, Wellington New Zealand vs Switzerland, 7pm, July 30, Dunedin
